“The plane was sabotaged; all the people on board that plane, every last
one of them, were deliberately murdered.” While Sawyer continued to
watch, Sidney shut down completely for about a minute. Her features
held real, not feigned, horror. Her eyes suddenly lost their feverish
sparkle.
After a minute, Sawyer gently said, “Sidney? Sidney?”
With a jolt, Sidney came back but then was gone again just as quickly.
Her breath suddenly came out in a huge burst. For an instant she was
certain she would vomit all over herself. She put her head in her lap,
clutching her calves. Ironically, her movements mirrored a passenger in
crash position on an airliner. When she started moaning and the rest of
her body began to shake uncontrollably, Sawyer swiftly rose and sat
beside her. One arm clutched her shoulder, steadying her; the other
gripped one of her hands tightly.
Sawyer looked up at Jackson. “Water, tea, something, Ray.
Pronto!”
Jackson raced off.
With nervous hands, Sidney’s mother poured out a glass of water for
Jackson. When Jackson turned to leave, Bill Patterson held up the
newspaper. “This is what’s it’s all about, right?” The paper’s
headlines were big, bold and deadly sounding. WESTERN AIRLINES CRASH
BLAMED ON SABOTAGE. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OFFERS two million-DOLLAR
REWARD. “Jason and all the others were victims of a terrorist. That’s
why you’re here, isn’t it?” In the background, Mrs. Patterson covered
her face in her hands, her quiet weeping pervading the room as she sat
down at the table.
“Sir, not right now, okay?” Jackson’s tone brooked no opposition.
He left the room with the glass of water.
Paul Brophy, meanwhile, had gone into the front yard, ostensibly to
smoke a cigarette, despite the cold. If anyone had looked out the
living room window, they would have seen the small cellular phone
pressed to the side of his face.
Sawyer virtually had to force the water down Sidney’s throat, but
finally she was able to sit up. After Sidney composed herself and
handed back the glass of water with a grateful look, Sawyer did not
return to the plane bombing. “Believe me, if this weren’t very, very
important, we’d leave right now, okay?”
Sidney nodded. She still looked ghastly. Sawyer took a moment to
marshal his thoughts. Sidney seemed relieved when he asked a couple of
seemingly innocuous questions about Jason’s work at Triton Global.
Sidney answered calmly enough, although she was clearly puzzled. He
looked around the room. They had a nice home. “Any money problems?” he
asked.
“Where is this going, Mr. Sawyer?” Sidney’s face had regained some of
its rigidity. Suddenly she softened; she had just remembered Jason’s
remark about giving her the world.
“Wherever it happens to lead at this point, ma’am,” Sawyer answered, his
eyes meeting hers without hesitation. They seemed to burn through her
exterior wall, clearly reading the thoughts, the nagging doubts buried
deep within. She realized she would have to tread very cautiously with
him. “We’re talking with all the families of the passengers on that
plane. If the plane was sabotaged because of who was on it, we need to
find out reasons why.”
“I see.” Sidney took a deep breath. “To answer your question, we’re in
better shape financially than we’ve been in years.”
“You’re an attorney for Triton, right?”
“Among about fifty other clients. So?”
Sawyer changed tactics. “Okay, you know that your husband had taken a
few days off from work?”
“I’m his wife.”
“Good, then maybe you’d like to explain why it was, if he was taking a
few days off, that he happened to be on a plane to L.A.”
Sawyer had almost said “allegedly” been on a plane but fortunately
caught himself.
Sidney’s tone was businesslike. “Look, I have to assume you’ve already
talked to Triton. Maybe you’ve spoken to Henry Wharton as well. Jason
told me he was going to L.A. on business for Triton. On the morning he
left, I reminded him that I had a meeting in New York with Triton.
That’s When he told me he was traveling to L.A. regarding another
employment opportunity. He didn’t want me to let the fact of his L.A.
trip slip to any of the Triton people. I played along. I know it